Washington State University
BUSINESS POLICIES AND PROCEDURES MANUAL

Data Warehouse Access

A data warehouse stores data that is extracted from mainframe and server-based operational
applications. The data is made available for ad hoc queries and scheduled reporting.
The organization of data in the data warehouse differs from data found in the
operational applications in the following ways:

Relevant data is clustered together for easy access.

Several copies of the data from various points in time are kept together.
These copies are referred to as historical snapshots.

Data placed into the data warehouse is not updated. However, the historical
snapshots are periodically refreshed with data from the operational
applications.

University Data Warehouses

The University maintains the following current and historical data warehouses:

Current student data and financial data regarding accounts receivable is maintained within the Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition (OBIEE) system accessed through the myWSU portal.

The OBIEE student data area is referred to as the Student Information System (SIS). The OBIEE financial data area is referred to as the Student Financial System (SFS). (See also 30.57.)

Current financial data other than accounts receivable and historical financial data regarding accounts receivable are maintained within the Business Objects Financial Data Warehouse.

Historical student data (prior to fall semester 2012) is maintained within the Business Objects Student Data Warehouse for reference purposes.

Financial Data Warehouses

The current and historical financial data warehouses consist of:

Accounting data,

Employment data,

Purchasing data, and

Related supporting data.

The Executive Director, Business Services/Controller is the data custodian for the OBIEE Fiunancial Data Warehouse.

The Executive Director, Finance and Administration is the data custodian for the Business Objects Financial Data Warehouse.

Student Data Warehouses

The current and historical student data warehouses consist of:

Demographic information about students,

Courses in which students are enrolled,

Enrollment statistics for each course section, and

Related supporting data.

The Associate Registrar is the data custodian for the both the OBIEE Student Data Warehouse and the Business Objects Student Data Warehouse.

Questions

Address questions to CougTech; telephone 509-335-4357 (509-335-HELP).

Security and Data Usage

The data warehouses provide access to sensitive University data. Administrators are to exercise discretion when authorizing employee access to University data. University employees with a demonstrated "need-to-know" may access data warehouse information. Administrators are responsible for ensuring that authorized employees are aware of data security and usage requirements. (See Executive Policy EP8.)

Release of Data

Data is released in accordance with regulations in 90.05, 90.06,
and 90.07.

Training

Training for the data warehouses is provided through Human Resource Services.
See 60.71.

ACCESS TO OBIEE DATA WAREHOUSES

Authorization to access the OBIEE data warehouses through the myWSU portal is assigned to specified employees based upon business need.

Departments must complete the following steps in order to obtain approval
for specified departmental personnel to access the OBIEE data warehouses:

Obtain a Network ID for each employee requesting access to a data warehouse. See 85.37.

Request myWSU access for each of the employees. For access instructions, e-mail the Enterprise Systems Group (ESG) at:

Complete an OBIEE Data Warehouse Access Request for each employee requesting access to an OBIEE data warehouse. To obtain the form, complete and/or print the form master on 85.48.9. See also Completing the Request Form for further instructions.

The request must be approved by the supervisor, the department chair or director, and the department dean or vice president.

Submit the completed and approved access request to the Enterprise Systems Group (ESG) data custodian by:

Routes the access request to the applicable data warehouse custodians for approval.

Ensure that each employee requesting access to OBIEE Answers completes OBIEE training after his or her access request is approved. (See OBIEE Training below.) Upon completion of the training, ESG applies OBIEE Answers access to the employee's Network ID account.

Completing the Request Form

Most sections of the OBIEE Data Warehouse Access Request form are self-explanatory.

Request Type

New Request

To request a new access authorization for a departmental employee, check the New Request box at the top of the form.

Departmental Transfer

For an employee who is transferring from another department and is currently approved to access the OBIEE data warehouses, check the Departmental Transfer box at the top of the Data Warehouse Access Request.

Levels of Access

Select the levels of access that the employee needs to complete her or his job duties.

OBIEE Census

OBIEE Census is the repository of official University reporting data collected on the tenth day of the semester. The Census data includes a variety of metrics related to academic plans, admissions, courses, degrees conferred, grades, honors, student demographic profiles, and student financials (including accounts receivable).

To request access to the official reporting data for the University, check the OBIEE Census box.

OBIEE Answers

OBIEE Answers provides end users with the tools and capabilities to develop queries to generate custom reports and dashboards. OBIEE Answers access provides end users access to all data within the OBIEE Data Warehouse from which custom reports and dashboards can be developed.

To request access to the transactional data and analytical tools used to generate customized reports, check the OBIEE Answers box.

Provide a detailed business need and justification for access to the indicated data warehouse resources. The justification must clearly identify the tasks within the employee's job duties that require access to the OBIEE data warehouse for successful completion.

Privacy Training (FERPA)

Each employee requesting access to OBIEE Answers must complete the online student records privacy training before access is given. To access the online training, the employee selects the FERPA Test link on the Registrar's Office Network website at:

The supervisor is responsible for requesting removal of an employee's data warehouse access when the employee leaves the University or when changes in job duties no longer warrant access to the OBIEE data warehouse.

To request removal of the employee's access, the supervisor submits a completed OBIEE Data Warehouse Access Request to ESG. The supervisor checks the Cancel request type box at the top of the form.

Transferring Access

When an employee with OBIEE data warehouse access transfers to another department:

The original department must submit a data warehouse request to remove the employee's access. The department checks the Cancel request type box at the top of the form.

The new department must submit a data warehouse request indicating the business need within the new position. The department checks the Departmental Transfer request type box at the top of the form.

The two departments coordinate regarding the effective date of the change in access to best meet the needs of the departments.

ACCESS TO BUSINESS OBJECTS DATA WAREHOUSES

Authorization to access the Business Objects data warehouses is assigned by software licenses held by departments. An employee is assigned to use a license for the data warehouse access software installed on a specific computer held by a specific department.

Departments must complete the following steps in order to obtain approval for specified departmental personnel to access the historical data warehouses:

Obtain a Network ID for each employee requesting access to a data warehouse. See 85.37.

Complete a Business Objects Data Warehouse Access Request for each employee requesting access to a Business Objects data warehouse. To obtain the form , complete and/or print the form master on 85.48.10. See also Completing the Request Form below for further instructions.

The request must be approved by the department chair or director and the department dean or vice president.

Submit the completed and approved access request to the data custodian for the Business Objects Financial Data Warehouse and/or the data custodian for the Business Objects Student Data Warehouse.

Most sections of the Business Objects Data Warehouse Access Request form are self-explanatory.

Request Type

New Request

To request a new software license and authorization for an employee to be assigned to use the new license, check the New Request box at the top of the form.

Departmental Transfer

ITS may transfer use of a specific Business Objects software license to a new departmental employee if that employee is assigned to use the department computer on which the access software is currently installed.

Check the Departmental Transfer box at the top of the Data Warehouse Access Request to request authorization for the employee to access the data warehouses on an existing software license.

Additional Actions (Move Existing Repository)

Check Move existing repository to request that access to the existing data repository assigned to a license be transferred to a different departmental employee. (The Departmental Transfer request type must also be checked.)

Privacy Training (FERPA)

Each employee receiving access to the Business Objects Student Data Warehouse must complete the online student records privacy training before access is given. To access the online training, select the FERPA Test link on the Registrar's Office Network website at:

Employees must take FERPA training every three years to be current and eligible for access to student systems.

Terminating Access

Departments are responsible for requesting removal of an employee's data warehouse access authorization when the employee terminates employment with the department.

To remove the employee's access, the department submits a completed Business Objects Data Warehouse Access Request to ITS. The supervisor checks the Cancel request type box at the top of the form.

Transferring Access

When an employee requiring access begins work for or transfers to a department, the new department must submit a completed and approved Business Objects Data Warehouse Access Request for the employee. The applicable data custodian must approve the employee's access and license assignment prior to use of the data warehouse for the new department.